THE EARLY YEARS

Justin and Patrick pose for a photo in red graduation robes. The robes are open at the front, revealing their button-down shirts, ties, and khakis. They hold their graduation caps in their hands, and Patrick has his arm around Justin’s shoulders.

Justin and Patrick at high school graduation (1993)

Three children, each about 4 years old, in front of a merry-go-round in bright sunshine.

Childhood friends: (L to R) Patrick, friend, Justin (1979)

Justin and Patrick pose for a photo in front of a house. They stand side-by-side, each with one arm around the other.

Reunited! Home from college at Patrick’s house (1994)

GROWING IN LIFE TOGETHER

Patrick (in a tuxedo, minus the jacket) and Donna (in a wedding dress) look at Justin, who is holding a microphone. All are holding filled punch glasses.

Justin giving his best man’s toast at Patrick and Donna’s wedding (1997). He had the whole room laughing and may have told an embarrassing story or two.

Justin and Patrick pose in tuxedos for a formal photograph. Justin stands behind Patrick, who is seated on a piano bench.

Patrick’s turn as the best man, in Justin and Kirstin’s wedding (2000)

Donna, Patrick, Kirstin, and Justin pose for a photo in front of a snow-covered mountainside.

Our friendship has always been defined by adventure. In 2001, we traveled with our wives to Europe (L to R: Donna, Patrick, Kirstin, Justin).

Kirsten, Donna, Patrick, and Justin pose for a photo on a wooden platform overlooking a lake. Pine-covered hills surround the lake.

At the Skeesuck family cabin in Donnelly, Idaho, the weekend of the infamous “bat incident”

Patrick carries Justin piggy-back in shallow ocean water.

Patrick carrying Justin out of the warm Caribbean water in Ocho Rios, Jamaica (2007)

ON THE CAMINO

Patrick and Joe lift Justin in his wheelchair over a rocky spot in the unpaved mountain path.

Our first day on the Camino, we faced the challenge of the Pyrenees Mountains.

Justin lies on a grassy hillside, his eyes closed. In the distance are mountain peaks.

Enjoying a brief moment of rest in the middle of the Pyrenees

Patrick pulls Justin in his wheelchair, while Joe pushes from behind. The trail is a wide muddy trench with puddles of standing water.

As if the steepness weren’t challenging enough, we also encountered plenty of thick mud.

Justin, a local welder, and Patrick sit on the ground around the wheelchair. The welder holds a metal bracket in place against a bar of the wheelchair.

In Pamplona, discussing options with a local welder for repairing Justin’s wheelchair

Justin, Patrick, and Ted sit in a plaza in front of a large church.

Resting in Estella with Team Ted

Justin looks out over a valley from the top of a hill. Beside him are three life-size metal silhouettes of pilgrims walking.

At the top of Alto de Perdón (Hill of Forgiveness), outside of Pamplona, a monument dedicated to pilgrims

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES . . .

Patrick pushes Justin in his wheelchair on a level asphalt path beside a golden field. The sun is bright and the sky is cloudless.

A long, hot day in the Meseta!

Patrick faces a tall pole with a cross at the top. The pole stands on top of a mound of rock and dirt beneath dark clouds.

Cruz de Ferro, a beautiful place to leave burdens behind

Five people assist Justin up a steep unpaved trail with thick green foliage on either side. Joe has the wheelchair’s strap around his waist and uses a pair of hiking poles. Two people push at the back of the wheelchair, and two more crouch at the front of the wheelchair.

The steep climb up O Cebreiro with Joe out front

Justin and Patrick pose with thirteen other pilgrims in front of a green valley covered in farm fields and woods.

We will never forget those we met on the Camino. Without the help of people like these, we would never have made it to Santiago!

Patrick leans against the exterior wall of a building, playing guitar.

Patrick playing the guitar outside an albergue in Sarria

Patrick pushes Justin downhill ahead of us on a gravel trail. In the foreground is the back of a statue that points down the trail with his right hand and holds a walking stick with a cross at the top in his left hand.

Almost there! Looking at the city of Santiago de Compostela from the monument of Monte do Gozo

Patrick stands behind Justin beneath vaulted arches. Both are looking out of the arches into the sunlight.

Brotherhood: Pursuing life with one another leads to amazing adventures. Justin and Patrick embracing a quiet moment together at the Samos Monastery.